8.13.2014

brown butter sea salt rice krispie bars

I have a confession: I've never been a huge rice krispie bar person. I was always the girl who never considered them a "real dessert" mainly because they weren't too terribly exciting.
I didn't crave rice krispie bars after dinner; I wouldn't spoil my appetite on rice krispie bars.
They were never at the top of my "Favorite Desserts of All Time" list [you don't have one of those?]
Until now.


These oooey gooey bars full of browned butter and sea salt have officially won me over. I would easily say they are one of the best desserts I've ever had. So light and airy, with a slight nuttiness and depth of flavor from the brown butter, a sweetness from the chewy melted marshmallows, paired with the crispy rice cereal & coarse sea salt on top...seriously, my taste buds were having a dance off with every bite. In fact, I am already figuring out what occasion I can come up with for an excuse make them again. Then again, I don't think I've ever needed an excuse to make dessert.

These bars are so easy to make and require only minutes of work with a huge payoff. My favorite way to eat them is when they're still warm and not quite set, and I love when they are rustic and asymmetrical. If I wanted a perfectly cut rectangular rice krispie bar, I would buy one from the store. And after making these, I will never, ever buy one.


what you'll need

6 cups of rice krispie cereal [approximately half a 12 oz. box]
8 TBSP [1 stick] of butter
10 oz. bag of mini marshmallows
1/2 tsp sea salt

extra sea salt coarsely ground for finishing

8x8 glass baking dish + butter to coat
large pot
wooden spoon or spatula

what you'll do

» Generously coat your baking dish evenly with softened butter; set aside

» In a large pot, heat 1 stick of butter on medium low heat || The entire process to brown butter takes anywhere from 5-10 minutes depending on your heat level, pot, stovetop, etc. but it is critical that you do not step away from your pan as you are browning the butter

» First, the butter will melt
» Then, the butter will foam
» Next, it will turn a clear golden color [You will notice the color as you are stirring it]
» Finally, it will begin to smell nutty and start to turn darker brown

» As you are browning the butter, gently stir frequently and be sure to scrape any bits off the bottom of the pan; do not take your eyes off the pot || While it takes a few minutes for it to begin foaming and then turning color, be patient! Once it does, it goes very quick and the time between when the butter takes on color and burns is often a matter of seconds.

» As soon as your butter has taken on a nutty brown color, turn the heat off completely
» Add in the bag of mini marshmallows and stir; the residual heat from the butter should be enough to melt the marshmallows but if not, turn stove back on low and stir until smooth

» Remove the pot from the stove and stir in rice krispies and 1/2 tsp ground sea salt
» Quickly spread into prepared 8x8 pan, using a spatula to flatten or shape as desired

» Finish it off by sprinkling coarse sea salt evenly over the top to your preference

Sneak a taste while they're still gooey and warm, and then let cool and set up for 20-30 minutes before cutting into squares. Oh and be sure you ran like 10 miles that day because you're going to want to eat the whole pan. Enjoy!

2 comments:

  1. Yum! I'll have to try this. My mom would make us Cheerio treats instead of using Rice Krispies, so now that's how I make them too.

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  2. I'd probably faint at 10 miles! Lol! I'm going to have to try these. I have some fancy sea salt that's been looking for a good reason to be used. Thanks for sharing!

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